If Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any completed target numbers or percentages.

If No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

Ongoing activities, specifics included in the following sections.

Performance Measure for Goal 1

Provide evidence of and progress toward at least two measurable changes/reforms (that meet the criteria in the objective above) that have increased access to and/or the coordination of high quality programs for young children and their families. These reforms or changes must be drawn from priorities in the Great Start strategic plan.

Priority 1 Change/Reform: (excerpted from work plan)

Ingham Early Childhood Action Agenda IV - Parenting Leadership C.1. Increase number of at-risk families receiving support through home visitor programs and play and learn groups.

Expected Impact/Outcomes: (excerpted from work plan)

Coordinated referral process for all early childhood home visitor programs in Ingham County: Early Head Start; Family Outreach Services; Public Health Nursing; Nurse Family Partnership; Parent-Infant Program; Parent-Young Child; Early On; Healthy Start; and Great Parents, Great Start; by developing a chart of program requirements and sharing with referral sources. Solidify a "No Wrong Door" system by standardizing intake questions in home visitor programs and routing families to appropriate services.

Expected Number of Children and Families Impacted: (excerpted from work plan)

What progress has been made on this priority this quarter? (include any successes or challenges experienced)

During Q3 the Ingham GSC/FC has continued promoting the process of coordination of Home Visiting Programs. The Ingham GSC Coordinators are active participants in the Parent Leadership & Support Workgroup and the Infant Mortality Coalition which are the two advisory groups for the HV programs in the County. To further our work towards a better coordinated HV system the Ingham GSC has been granted funds to support two efforts: one to develop a Home Visiting Hub, and another for Home Visitor Quality Improvement Consortium (QIC).

During Q3 progress has been made on the HV Hub. After a grant funding agreement was finally reached we have hired a Project Organizer, Kristen Hubbell, who is working very closely with the larger Pathways to Better Health Hub (PtBH), the HV programs and the GSC/FC. Kristen has been meeting with each of the HV programs to begin drafting a new set of cross-agency pamphlets that were suggested by parent feedback from the GS Family Coalition and the GSC/FC Parent Leadership & Support Workgroup. Kristen has developed a first draft of decision trees for the HV Hub planning group to review at their next meeting.

The GSC QIC grant for the four HV programs using the Parents as Teachers (PAT) model in Ingham County has been moving ahead in this Q3. Staff attended statewide HV QIC meetings and also completed the first round of data collection. During this Quarter the four HV programs also worked on revising their program brochures to clarify program responsibilities and parent responsibilities to be discussed before enrolling in the HV programs. The idea here is that these revised program brochures will promote a better understanding of the expectations upfront, and there will be more consistent and engaged parent participation in the HV programs. QIC has also begun to tackle a second problem statement, “Programs could keep families engaged for a longer period of time.” The QIC has now begun working on the adopted Aim Statement centered on this issue, “By September 5th 2013, the QIC will increase the length of time families are enrolled in the Home Visiting program.”

Priority 2 Changes/Reforms: (excerpted from work plan)

Ingham Early Childhood Action Agenda IV - Parenting Leadership C.1. Increase number of at-risk families receiving support through home visitor programs and play and learn groups.
Ingham Early Childhood Action Agenda V - Family Support A.1. In partnership with coalitions and domestic violence and homeless shelters discuss needs and opportunities. Develop strategies for joint activities. such as on-site Play & Learn Groups.

Expected Impact/Outcomes: (excerpted from work plan)

GSC members and community partner agencies will support and coordinate Play & Learn Groups available for the community including targeted groups for high-risk families such as: homeless families shelter residents; Native American families; migrant workers; non-English speaking families; teen parents; and families with children at-risk of developmental delays.

Expected Number of Children and Families Impacted (excerpted from work plan)

What progress has been made on this priority this quarter? (including successes and challenges)

The FY13 Workplan expected GSC partner agencies to support Play & Learn Groups to serve targeted high risk groups. During this Quarter P&L Groups were held at the following targeted sites:

Increased parent and community participation and input to help revise the Action Agenda and co-develop Great Start activities; with special emphasis on engaging high-risk, under-served, and minority families with young children, working with the i2i Community Organizers.

Expected Number of Children and Families Impacted: (excerpted from work plan)

What progress has been made on this priority this quarter? (including successes and challenges)

During the Q3, the GS Parent Coordinator and 5 other Community Organizers coordinated with GSC agencies to increase outreach efforts for a joint application that helps route families to high-quality preschool and other early childhood services located in Ingham County. This includes targeting events and neighborhoods where families who likely qualify for Head Start and GSRP options are most likely to be. In addition to increased outreach at events, another avenue to reach families that are hard to reach has been to be a presence on Facebook, linking the joint application information on our website, with Facebook, and a concentrated online effort monitored by GSC staff, the GS Family Coalition, NEON, and informed by GSC partner agencies.

On May 31, over 74 people gathered at the Harley Franks Early Childhood Center, operated by the Ingham ISD, for an event to bring families working with NEON together, and to help gather their stories about positive early childhood experiences with Arts, Music, and Phys Ed (A.M.P.Ed). This event called Fam-May-nia was an opportunity to bring low-income families and families of color together to have fun and learn more about GSC, GSFC, and NEON and celebrate the work they have done. At Fam-May-nia there was a table for HS/GSRP outreach and Joint Applications; nutrition education making smoothies and gardening activities; food and fun.

At Fam-May-nia the Great Start Family Coalition (GSFC) Coordinator (MC) used the technical assistance provided by ECIC and created a rough-cut video that showcases several stories and creates awareness of the positive impact A.M.P.Ed can play in early childhood and beyond. The Digital Storytelling technical assistance training occurred May 24 and June 21.

Performance Measure for Goal 1

Increase public and private investment in early childhood programs/projects through both in-kind and cash resources. Please do NOT include funds already listed in previous reports.

Insert new cash or in-kind funds received this quarter:

Amount ($):

Public or Private?

Public
Private

Cash or In-Kind?

Cash
In Kind

Source:

Amount to be expended in FY13 (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013)

Amount to be expended in FY14 (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014)

Do you need to report another funds received this quarter?

Yes
No
(not selected)

Amount ($):

Public or Private?

Public
Private

Cash or In-Kind?

Cash
In Kind

Source:

Amount to be expended in FY13 (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013)

Amount to be expended in FY14 (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014)

Do you need to report another funds received this quarter?

Yes
No
(not selected)

Amount ($):

Public or Private?

Public
Private

Cash or In-Kind?

Cash
In Kind

Source:

Amount to be expended in FY13 (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013)

Amount to be expended in FY14 (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014)

Do you need to report another funds received this quarter?

Yes
No
(not selected)

Amount ($):

Public or Private?

Public
Private

Cash or In-Kind?

Cash
In Kind

Source:

Amount to be expended in FY13 (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013)

Amount to be expended in FY14 (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014)

Do you need to report another funds received this quarter?

Yes
No
(not selected)

Amount ($):

Public or Private?

Public
Private

Cash or In-Kind?

Cash
In Kind

Source:

Amount to be expended in FY13 (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013)

Amount to be expended in FY14 (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014)

Do you need to report another funds received this quarter?

Yes
No
(not selected)

Amount ($):

Public or Private?

Public
Private

Cash or In-Kind?

Cash
In Kind

Source:

Amount to be expended in FY13 (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013)

Amount to be expended in FY14 (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014)

Do you need to report another funds received this quarter?

Yes
No
(not selected)

Amount ($):

Public or Private?

Public
Private

Cash or In-Kind?

Cash
In Kind

Source:

Amount to be expended in FY13 (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013)

Amount to be expended in FY14 (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014)

Do you need to report another funds received this quarter?

Yes
No
(not selected)

Amount ($):

Public or Private?

Public
Private

Cash or In-Kind?

Cash
In Kind

Source:

Amount to be expended in FY13 (October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013)

Amount to be expended in FY14 (October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2014)

Do you need to report another funds received this quarter?

Yes
No
(not selected)

In addition to the funds reported above, please describe any challenges or successes related to this performance measure:

In Q3 the Ingham GSC/FC had two successes in increasing public and private investment in early childhood programs/projects through both in-kind and cash resources. In both these projects, the Early Childhood Scholarship Fund and the Head Start/GSRP Joint Application, the Ingham GSC/FC received cash grant awards from funders and in addition GSC/FC partners stepped up and provided additional in-kind contributions to ensure the success of the projects.

In Q3 we were able to quickly develop another Early Childhood Scholarship Fund proposal and implementation system building on the infrastructure and administrative procedures that we developed for the previous round of funding in 2011. By building on our prior successes (and with a few tweaks) we were able to quickly develop an efficient and effective system to administer a $90k scholarship fund for income-eligible families with young children. Even though this grant did not provide adequate funding to administer the scholarship fund, one of the GSC partner agencies, CACS Head Start, stepped up and offered to provide the necessary administrative services as an in-kind contribution.

In Q3 we received a $10k grant to help support Head Start/GSRP Coordination. This funding helped bolster our efforts implementing the Ingham Early Childhood Joint Application used countywide for all Head Start and GSRP programs. In addition, with funding from the Kellogg Foundation the Lansing Early Childhood Equity Project committed the resources of the N.E.O.N. Community Organizers to help in community outreach using the Joint Application and recruitment materials.

Ingham GSC/FC has been very successful in receiving grant funds for several projects including: Head Start/GSRP Coordination; Early Childhood Scholarship Fund; and QIC. However, in each of these cases the funding does not fully reimburse the GSC/FC and partner agencies for all the administrative costs involved in implementing each of these projects. Fortunately the GSC/FC key partners CACS Head Start and Early Head Start; Ingham County Health Dept; and Ingham ISD each agreed to provide in-kind support for these projects without grant fund reimbursement for these expenses. In addition, the MIECHV funded HV Hub Project asked us to encourage parent participation on the HV Planning Team, but to date has refused to let us pay for these expenses out of the HV Hub grant. Fortunately the Ingham ISD has been willing to help us cover these costs to support parent participation in the HV Hub planning process. Each of these contributions is listed in the previous section detailing Q3 contributions. It is also noted here because from a systems perspective, at a certain point partner agencies will no longer be able to accept grant funds such as these if the grants do not pay for the real costs in administering the projects.

Goal 2: Build and sustain a capable Great Start Collaborative and empowered Great Start Parent Coalition focused on leveraging change in the local early childhood system.

Objectives:

Develop active constituents with shared goals

Build strong parent leadership and authentic voice

Build effective partnerships between the GSC and GSPC, and between the GSC/GSPC and critical community organizations and stakeholders (e.g. Great Start to Quality Resource Center, business, philanthropy, diverse community groups, etc.)

Educate the community about the importance of early childhood and the need for systems change

Performance Measures for Goal 2: Performance Indicators

1. Provide evidence of an active GSC membership that includes all organizations listed in Appendix A. (Members must have the capacity to commit resources and make decisions on behalf of the organization.) Evidence of an active GSC membership must include examples of increased individual/organization member involvement/engagement.

Planned Activities (excerpted from work plan):

On-going the GSC is actively recruiting new members to GSC and Workgroups.
The GSC schedules Quarterly Orientation meetings, and others as needed for new members.
The GSC has 9 active Workgroups: Early Childhood Literacy Coalition; Infant Mortality Initiative & Capital Area Safe Sleep Coalition; Social Emotional Health Workgroup; Kindergarten Transition Workgroup; Operations Committee; Great Start Family Coalition; Parent Leadership & Support Workgroup;
Public Awareness Workgroup; and Quality Initiatives Workgroup. Each workgroup is chaired by a GSC (parent or agency) member.

Have you completed these activities?

Yes
No

If
Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence
or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any
completed target numbers or percentages.

If
No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

Each of the three GSC monthly meetings in this Quarter was chaired by a
GSC member. During the Quarter there were over 20 GSC workgroup
meetings, all chaired by GSC members and attended by GSC and GSFC
members. The new leadership for the Social Emotional Health Workgroup,
now co-chaired by Fran Jozefowicz from CMH and Marta Kermiet from Head
Start, has been working effectively. Lisa Chambers worked with the GSC
to enable the ICHD to become the new fiduciary agency for the HV Hub
grant. Lori Noyer from the Pathways Hub and Kristen Hubbell the new HV
Hub Project Organizer have both taken new leadership roles on the Parent
Leadership & Support Workgroup as members of the HV Hub Planning
Team.

In Q3 Michelle has continued working with Lisa Chambers
from Family Outreach Services and Wendy Moncada from Great Parents Great
Start to implement the QIC grant and data collection.

2. Provide evidence of a GSPC that has at least 15 core members who help the Parent Liaison/Coordinator organize/support the GSPC to achieve its four core purposes.

Planned Activities (excerpted from work plan)

The Great Start Family Coalition working with the Coordinator has developed plans for monthly meetings in FY13 on: 10/16/12, 11/20/12, 1/15/13, 2/19/13, 3/13/13, 4/16/13, 5/21/13, 6/18/13, 8/20/13, and 9/17/13.
The GSFC Coordinator does weekly follow-up calls/contacts and emails to core members and potential members.

Have you completed these activities?

Yes
No

If
Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence
or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any
completed target numbers or percentages.

If
No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

The Ingham GSFC continued with 18 core members who reflect continuous outreach and recruitment from diverse communities around Ingham County, including Head Start Policy Council, various Home Visiting programs, and other Ingham GSC agency programs. One formal orientation was held in the third quarter with the Power of We Consortium. The Ingham GSFC Coordinator was in regular contact with current and newly recruited core members.

Core members of the Family Coalition were involved in parent leadership meetings in Q3 and in preparation for the 2013 Tour for Tots, co-hosted by the GSFC Coordinator and the Kinship Care Support Group. 5 adults and 7 children attended the June 18th event at the State of Michigan Capitol Building.

Current number of GSPC core members

3. Provide evidence that the GSPC core membership includes a variety of parents who use or have used the programs/services of the GSC member organizations spanning across all five Great Start component areas.

Planned Activities (excerpted from work plan)

Parent Coordinator asks agencies to recruit their parents, using GSFC brochures, at all opportunities. Parents and families are recruited at Operations Committee, GSC Meetings, and Head Start Policy Council meetings.
The Coordinator orients all new GSFC members and maintains a spreadsheet for the core members listing the program/services they have used spanning all five Great Start component areas.

Have you completed these activities?

Yes
No

If
Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence
or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any
completed target numbers or percentages.

If
No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

In
Q3 the Kinship Support Group, largely composed of African-American
families in the Lansing School District raising and/or fostering
children in their homes without formal or acknowledged support from
state or local agencies, asked GSFC Coordinator to help educate group
members about advocacy for children raised in kinship situations.
This led to co-hosting the Tour for Tots held in June. We announced
the tour to all three newly-elected state representatives and our
State Senator.

The
GSFC Coordinator continues to maintain a spreadsheet on GSFC members
and core members. The list has grown to 18 core members and 220
members. The spreadsheet for core members lists the program/services
they have used, and indicates that core members span all five GS
component areas.

4. Provide evidence that the GSC and GSPC are working diligently to ensure the membership reflects the demographic (i.e. racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, etc.) diversity of the county(ies).

Planned Activities (excerpted from work plan)

Recruitment at Community events, including:
Ingham Back-to-School Health Fair in August, Early On Family Picnic in May, ACTION of Greater Lansing (faith community), Head Start Policy Council and PAL, and parent workshops. Working closely with the i2i Community Organizers in recruitment and engagement activities.

Have you completed these activities?

Yes
No

If
Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence
or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any
completed target numbers or percentages.

If
No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

During Q3 the GSC/FC and partner agencies have been conducting a series of outreach events to promote the Head Start/GSRP Joint Application and recruit diverse families. Organizations such as Action Lansing, Lansing Early Childhood Equity Project, and Americorps as well as GSC members have all volunteered to help distribute newly developed outreach materials and the Joint Applications. Outreach efforts were organized at these community events during Q3: Fam-May-nia, Lansing Hip Hop Festival, Allen Street Farmers Market, Lansing City Market, Delta Rocks Family Festival and Juneteenth Celebration.

As outlined in the Workplan the GSC/FC recruited families at the Early On Family Picnic held on May 22, 2013 in Francis Park in Lansing. 35 people attended the picnic and received information about GS/FC and the Ingham Early Childhood Joint Applications and were also treated to a bubble party.

During this Quarter in partnership with Kellogg funded i2i Lansing Early Childhood Equity Project (LECEP) the GSC has continued working on cultural competence and equity issues. Even though the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance (LEDA) withdrew from their agreement to provide technical assistance and support services to the Ingham GSC due to LEDA staff changes, we have proceeded ahead. The GSC and LECEP have agreed to convene an Ad Hoc Workgroup on Cultural Competence and Equity Issues, with the charge to meet thru the Summer and report back in the Fall to the GSC & LECEP administrative teams with a proposed plan of action for our community. Several of the participants in the LEDA Talking to Kids about Race workshop held in March expressed interest in this type of planning group and will be invited to join this Ad Hoc group. The first meeting of the Ad Hoc group was held on June 6th and 14 people participated including early childhood program administrators, parents of young children, NEON Community Organizers, child/family instructors at the local colleges (MSU & LCC), and other interested GSC and community members. The group agreed to meet monthly through the summer, and Angela Waters Austin (from GSC, LECEP, and One Love Global) agreed to chair and facilitate the Workgroup.

5. Provide evidence that GSC decisions have included input and experiences from constituencies of parents and diverse groups within the GSC service area that use or have used the programs/services of the GSC member organizations spanning across all five Great Start component areas. Examples may include but are not limited to: parent feedback used to alter/change early childhood programs/services; parent input used to develop new programs and services, etc.

Planned Activities (excerpted from work plan)

The focus for FY13 will be on revising the Strategic Plan and Action Agenda with emphasis on the voices and feedback from vulnerable, underserved families with young children. Will be working with i2i Community Organizers on parent engagement and co-creation of revisions to GSC Strategic Plan and Action Agenda.

Have you completed these activities?

Yes
No

If
Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence
or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any
completed target numbers or percentages.

If
No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

In Q3 parents who have used home visiting program services continued to be involved in the planning and development of the HV Hub project by participating as members of the HV Hub Planning Team.

In addition, in Q3 the parents on the Parent Leadership and Support Workgroup and the NEON Community Organizers reviewed and provided feedback on the new Head Start/GSRP outreach materials for these Free Preschools. The materials parents co-developed and designed included Joint Application brochure, postcards, tear-off posters and promotional items such as fans and water bottles to be used at outreach events.

6. Increase the number of parents (from FY12) connected to the GSPC network through email list and/or social networking membership

Planned Activities (excerpted from work plan)

The Ingham Great Start Facebook page currently has over 300 Friends or people who "Like" our efforts, and the GSFC email list has around 125 families. Through increased parent engagement with the i2i Community Organizers, Parent Cafes and other outreach activities we will increase the GSFC network (on email lists and social networking) to 500.

Have you completed these activities?

Yes
No

If
Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence
or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any
completed target numbers or percentages.

On Facebook during Q3 there were 23 new people who added that they LIKED the Ingham Great Start page; at the end of the Quarter it was up to 465 people who LIKE the Ingham GS page. According to Facebook Insights during Q3 there were 13,874 Unique Viewers who saw Posts on our GS Page.

The GS Family Coalition has grown to 220 parents on the email list who receive postings weekly and updates from the GSC website. The number of parents connected to the GSFC network through Facebook and email lists has now reached 685 (465+220).

According to Google Analytics for InghamGreatStart.org during Q3 there were website visits by 2,772 unique visitors making 7,067 page views. The most popular pages receiving clicks at the Ingham Great Start website during Q3 were: Resources - Parent Child Activities (526); Lansing Housing Commission Waitlist Openings (513); Early Childhood Joint Application (380); and Play & Learn Groups (243).

Each time a new posting is made at the Ingham GSC website a blast email goes out to over 389 GSC and FC member email addresses about the updates. During Q3 a total of 23 of these blast emails went out announcing GSC partner events and important early childhood information.

If
No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

Effective Partnerships:

1. Provide evidence/examples of how the GSC and GSPC are partnering on a project(s) related to the Great Start strategic plan.

Planned Activities (excerpted from work plan)

GSC decision making and efforts always include parents. Some examples of the GSFC working with the GSC include:
- Parent Leadership and Support Workgroup is helping develop a more systematic and coordinated approach for the 9 home visitor programs in Ingham County. This workgroup is co-chaired by GSFC parents who share ideas to and from the GSFC.
- The GSFC will be planning a Parent Panel presentation at the March 2013 GSC meeting
- The GSFC, working with the i2i parent Community Organizers, will be engaging low-income minority families with young children in discussions about community issues, family needs, and systems changes; and co-developing revisions for the Strategic Plan and Action Agenda

Have you completed these activities?

Yes
No

If
Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence
or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any
completed target numbers or percentages.

If
No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

In Q3 the GSC and GSFC partnered with ACTION and NEON to help promote Head Start and GSRP programs in various churches and the African-American community in and around Ingham County, specifically targeting Lansing School District boundaries. Churches within the ACTION of Greater Lansing network have posted tear-off posters and distributed information to their members on how to sign up for free, high-quality preschool this summer using the Head Start/GSRP Joint Application process.

In Q3, GSFC core parents regularly attended the monthly Parent Leadership Workgroup meetings, which has become the convening body for the HV Hub. Parents have provided guidance to the group as we try to merge the efforts of the PtBH Hub and the HV Hub.

2. Provide evidence/examples of how the GSC/GSPC is partnering with the Great Start to Quality Resource Center to increase quality of early learning and development programs and providers in the GSC/GSPC area.

Planned Activities (excerpted from work plan)

The QRC regularly participates in the GSC monthly meetings and the GSFC monthly meetings sharing resources and partnering on events such as the Back to School Health Fair, and Zoo Days. The QRC and the FC work together to publicize the Toy Lending library, and community events for parents and families with young children.
The QRC and the GSC/GSFC regularly work together by attending monthly Ingham GSRP consortium meetings, and providing updates and technical assistance regarding the self-assessment surveys and quality ratings. The QRC is also part of the Quality Initiatives GSC Workgroup and coordinates their work with the Early Childhood Specialists and Head Start so that we are using consistent progam assessments and coordinating training with GSC for early childhood programs.

Have you completed these activities?

Yes
No

If
Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence
or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any
completed target numbers or percentages.

If
No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

The GSC/FC staff and the GSQRCC (OYC) staff regularly attend each others meetings to better coordinate efforts to increase quality of early learning and development programs in our area. The GSQRCC staff attended the GSC meetings on April 17, May 8, and June 12, 2013. All the Head Start classrooms and GSRPs have completed the SAS and their data has been entered into GS Connect.

To also promote quality and better coordination, the staff from GSQRCC and the GSC regularly attend the GSRP Advisory Council meetings. In Q3 staff from both GSQRCC and GSC participated in the GSRP Advisory Council meetings on April 26 and May 24, 2013.

During Q3 the GSQRCC (OYC) staff helped identify providers to participate in the Ad Hoc Workgroup on Cultural Competence and Equity Issues and committed to participating as well. GSQRCC (OYC) worked with the GSC Coordinators to help recruit child care providers who might be interested in providing on-site child care for N.E.O.N. community organizer meetings at Harley Franks Early Childhood Center, and for the Ad Hoc Workgroup meetings.

3. Provide evidence/examples of
efforts to educate the community, including community leaders, about the
importance of early childhood and the need for systems change.

Planned Activities (excerpted from work plan)

Educate the community about the importance of early childhood and the needs for systems change through public engagement by building off of initiatives like the Center for Michigan Community Forums; Ready Nation; Early Childhood Business Plan; and Lunch and Learns or Potlucks on the importance of investing in early childhood.

Have you completed these activities?

Yes
No

If Yes, what were the results of completing this activities? Please provide evidence or examples to illustrate the completion of the activities. Please list any completed target numbers or percentages.

If No, what progress has been made to date on this activities?

In May, over 20 people from Ingham County, including 5 from the GSFC, promoted the importance of early childhood issues during Star Power. The GSFC contacted Rep. Sam Singh, Rep. Tom Cochran, Rep. Andy Schor, and Sen. Gretchen Whitmer prior to the event May 14, to thank them for their participation in our 4th annual Parent Panel held in March.

On June 18, we followed up with our State Representatives and State Senator when we announced that we would tour the Capitol with children during our annual Tour for Tots event. This series of events around Star Power helped us create strong relationships with all newly elected State Representatives and reinforced for them the importance of investing in early childhood to meet family needs in our area. At the Early On Family Picnic, 12 parents filled out postcards to turn in to the Sandbox Party to present to our State Representatives.

Looking back over progress made during this quarter in the Goal 2 section, please share any successes or challenges experienced.

GSRP Head Start CoordinationDuring this Quarter a lot of the GSC/FC efforts centered around working on systems change to better improve GSRP Head Start coordination. Real progress has been made but not without some glitches. The plan was to roll out the new joint Head Start GSRP Application paper form at the same time that an on-line version would be posted on the GSC website. In this way families could have filled out the applications from anywhere with an Internet connection and submitted their Joint Application on-line. But we ran into some technical difficulties in setting up the on-line fillable and submittable applications. So instead lots of the paper copies of the Joint Application have been printed and distributed. The on-line version (unfortunately) remains only a printable PDF. Families or agencies can download and print the Joint Application but then they have to take the extra steps to FAX it, or scan and email it as an attachment, or mail via USPS to the Ingham ISD.

Despite the set back of the full on-line version of the Joint Application not being ready, the outreach efforts and community support has been very positive. During this Quarter Lansing School District, Head Start, Great Start and N.E.O.N. Community Organizers (parents) had several productive meetings to coordinate joint outreach efforts at community events, co-develop new promotional materials, and co-design new outreach strategies (using social media, robo calls, and media outlets). The more these groups have worked on new Joint Recruitment activities, the more they have built stronger relationships, and become more open to systems change to implement this new way of recruiting and enrolling community families in free Preschool programs (Great Start and Head Start).

Cultural Competence and Equity Issues Even though LEDA is not able to provide the Ingham GSC Consultation Services, the GSC and LECEP have proceeded ahead in working in this area. With the formation of an Ad Hoc Workgroup on Cultural Competence and Equity Issues we are entering a planning process to map out coordinated community efforts that will likely become part of the GSC/FC Workplan and Action Agenda next year.

Do you have any technical assistance requests at this time?

Yes, follow-up with Pennie Foster Fishman on local implementation of the ABLe Change Framework, but we have already begun these discussions directly with Pennie, and do not need additional ECIC TA at this time. The ECIC sponsored two-day September workshop by Pennie on ABLe Change Framework will also be of great value to us, thank you for arranging that TA for all the GSC/FCs. In addition, locally we want to have her present to a community leadership group including funders (Capital Area United Way, Capital Region Community Foundation), human services collaborative groups (Power of We Consortium), and GSC partner agencies so that our community can have a shared vocabulary to better plan collective impact on system change for early childhood with the wider community.